JBlog News

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Kosher -Delicious Looking- Elegance

These fancy cookbooks like Kosher Elegance by Efrat Libfroind, Published by Feldheim Publishers, always make me feel terribly incompetent. I've been cooking for decades but my food never looks like that. Granted, some people like my cooking for eating, but I've never gotten the hang of serving like you can see in Libroind's book.

Serves approximately 12My friends and I planned an impromptu get-together, complete with a lavish meal. I was bringing dessert, but as a little bonus I made a salad, too. Well, I threw myself into preparing an elegant dessert, but the real showstopper was this simple salad that took two minutes to make.

Tip: To preserve that fresh, bright green color, transfer beans to a bowl of ice water immediately after cooking. No one will believe the green beans are cooked!

Of course I'll make a few changes like using fresh green beans and no salt. I absolutely love the look of it, and I have no doubt that it tastes good, too.

Another vegetable recipe I must try, with minor adjustments--eliminating the sugar for sure--is Caramelized Vegetables on a Bed of Sweet Potato Puree. Yes, I do love vegetables!

Makes 6 medium-sized portions

This is one of my favorite dishes. It’s got eye appeal, it’s low in calories, and it boasts an interesting duo of textures: crisp vegetables and creamy sweet potatoes. I first stir-fry the veggies in a frying pan and then quickly grill them. Cooking them briefly lets the vegetables retain their crispness.

Caramelized vegetables: Separate broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. When oil is hot, add all the vegetables and stir-fry 3–4 minutes, mixing with 2 spoons. Season the vegetables with sugar, pepper, salt, and thyme (reserve some thyme for garnish) and stir-fry 3 more minutes. Transfer veggies to a baking pan and grill at 400°F for 5 minutes until golden.

For an elegant presentation, place a 2- to 3-inch food ring in the center of a plate. Fill ring with sweet potato and remove ring. Arrange vegetables on top.

For a simpler presentation, make a mound of sweet potato in the center of a serving platter. Put
vegetables on top. Garnish with thyme.

Tip: Caramelized vegetables also make a wonderful side dish when served on their own without the sweet potato base.

People who are familiar with Efrat Libroind's recipes probably find it strange that I'm praising her vegetable recipes when she's best known for her absolutely spectuacular desserts, like Cream Cheese, Chocolate, and Peanut Butter Mousse Cake.

Makes 1 7 x 11 inch pan

On one of my visits to New York, I studied alongside the proprietor of a large Brooklyn bakery. At the end of the course she approached me and offered to share “a wonderful recipe: cream cheese–peanut butter mousse.” I thanked her with a smile, even though inside I was cringing from the mere thought of a cream cheese–peanut butter combination.When I returned to Israel I found the recipe, along with detailed instructions, in my inbox, and I decided to try it. To my surprise, I discovered that it really was wonderful, and I made a few additions that upgraded it to a must-try recipe.

Chocolate mousse: Heat chocolate with heavy whipping cream and stir until completely combined. Refrigerate for 8 hours. Beat mixture for a few seconds until the color lightens. Spread mousse over the cake and freeze for half an hour.

Tip: For an extra chocolate garnish, melt 3½ ounces bittersweet chocolate and spread in an even layer on 3 x 1/2 inch acetate sheets, 1 sheet for each mousse square or rectangle. Place the sheets on an upside-down egg carton (for hygienic reasons, make sure it’s plastic) to create chocolate waves, as pictured. Freeze for 10 minutes, leaving sheets on egg carton. Remove chocolate waves from acetate sheets, place atop cake, and serve

I have no doubt that some of you readers are overjoyed that I included that lucious cake recipe in my review. If you try any of the recipes, please let me know how they come out by commenting here. I'm sure many of you will enjoy owning and reading and following Kosher Elegance by Efrat Libfroind.